Puzzle zupLH_M — ELO 1428
This is a Black-to-move puzzle rated 1428 ELO. The first move is c8c5, tagged with 10 interpretable concepts and Lichess themes: backRankMate, endgame, long.
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Position
Black to move. ELO 1428. Themes: backRankMate, endgame, long, mate, mateIn3.
FEN: r1r3k1/5ppp/6q1/2N5/1R1pP3/8/pQ3PPP/2R3K1 b - - 1 40
Show solution (6 ply)
Try to find the move yourself first — look for the rarest concept firing on this position before peeking. Solution sequence: c8c5 b4b8 a8b8 b2b8 c5c8 c1c8
Concepts that fire on this position
Our SAE pipeline tagged this position with 10 active features. Each links to a page documenting that pattern in detail.
Why this puzzle is hard
The rarest pattern firing here is A white rook that is contested (attacked by a black piece and defended by a…, which appears in only 343 of our 9,950 puzzles (3.45%). Rare patterns tend to be the bottleneck — players who haven't internalised them will fail this puzzle even when their tactical calculation is otherwise solid.
The puzzle's Lichess ELO of 1428 reflects this: solvers below that rating typically miss the cue entirely.
Similar puzzles
Puzzles sharing the most concept tags with this one — a stronger signal than theme overlap because it reflects the actual patterns Leela recognises.
Train this pattern
Click through to the Climbchess trainer to attempt the position interactively against the same Leela network that tagged it. The trainer adapts difficulty using your live concept-recognition profile — it surfaces puzzles tagged with concepts you've been missing, not random brawls.
If you want the underlying methodology, the how-it-works page walks through the SAE training run, the labelling pipeline, and the puzzle-tagging procedure end-to-end.
Frequently asked
What is the rating of this puzzle?
1428 Lichess ELO. Solvers below that rating typically miss the key cue.
Which side moves first?
Black to move; the first move of the solution is c8c5.
What concepts does it train?
10 SAE-derived patterns including White Queen on the 1st or 2nd rank, unthreatened by black…; A pawn (either colour) on the 2nd rank near the kingside…; Detects black kingside pawn structure with a protected….
Can I attempt it without an account?
Yes — Climbchess requires no signup or email. Click the trainer link to play the position interactively.